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The Converj plug-in hybrid was introduced at last January's Detroit auto show. General MotorsGM

With sales limping in North America, Cadillac is seeking to polish its brand image by introducing three performance vehicles in the next few years.

The highlight is a reported production version of the hot-looking Converj plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that wowed onlookers at the Detroit auto show early this year. The others will be CTS-V variants of the Sport Wagon and upcoming CTS Coupe.

All three will offer versions of the 556-horsepower, supercharged V-8 currently in the Cadillac CTS-V sedan. This 6.2-litre monster engine is based on the one in the 638-hp Corvette ZR1.

GM's outspoken vice chairman Bob Lutz told Car and Driver magazine that you'll be able to get a CTS-V wagon after the CTS-V coupe's debut next summer, and that the CTS-V wagon is expected to help make wagons cool again in North America.

The Converj is the furthest one out, as the business plan for full production was just submitted to the board last week, the Detroit News reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the plan, contradicting GM's position earlier this year that there were no plans to build the low-slung two-door concept. But that statement came before the company had emerged from bankruptcy protection, quicker than anticipated this year, the paper noted.

The plug-in Converj coupe concept brandishes exotic car looks, but houses four seats, leading to some online speculation that it might become a four-door "coupe" by the time it reaches market, to compete with the Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz CLS.

However, Lutz said at the Converj's unveiling in January that, if the car was green-lighted, the production version would look very similar to the concept, likening it to the Camaro that made it to dealers nearly unchanged from the unveiled concept.

The Converj will share the same type of extended-range Voltec drivetrain as the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.

That will allow it to drive solely on electricity for up to 64 km on a full charge, before a small gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the batteries, promising another few hundred kilometres of range, with estimates of total range varying from 300 to 480 km.

Lutz has said that the system can be tuned for more power for use with other brands and products, at the cost of some range.

McCain says Chrysler unlikely to survive

Outspoken former U.S. presidential candidate and current Arizona senator John McCain says Chrysler is not likely to survive, despite government bailout money from U.S., Canadian and Ontario taxpayers totalling more than $15-billion (U.S.). The Republican senator said Sunday that much of Detroit's financial troubles sprang from difficulties in dealing with the strong unions. "The unions didn't want to have their very generous contracts renegotiated, so we put $80-billion into both General Motors and Chrysler; and anybody believes that Chrysler is going to survive, I'd like to meet them."

But former U.S. government auto czar to the U.S. government Steven Rattner saw the source of the issues differently, citing "stunningly poor management" at both Chrysler and GM in a piece he wrote for Fortune magazine.

McCain made the charge at the most recent NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Phoenix, where he was grand marshal of ceremonies, where track and NASCAR officials surely wished he kept his comments to the more traditional "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

Chrysler has announced a major cut in its motorsports spending, including dropping manufacturer support for one of its two teams in NASCAR's top series, and will go from supporting seven cars this year to three in the Sprint Cup series for 2010.

Auto analysts appear by and large more optimistic about Chrysler's future than McCain, but many only slightly.

Bruce Clark of U.S. ratings agency Moody's called Sergio Marchionne's recently announced revitalization plan one of the most ambitious plans in automotive history, but questioned whether Chrysler had enough time or money to follow through with it.

The five-year plan involves doubling Chrysler's sales worldwide, paying back various government loans, increasing Chrysler's long-declining North American market share by more than five percentage points, becoming profitable by 2011, and introducing over a dozen cars in North America based on Fiat platforms and engines, but mostly sold as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram (truck) products.

Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands are planned to make an official comeback to North America as well, but in limited numbers.

Mercedes Canada sticks with diesel

Mercedes-Benz Canada confirmed this week that the gas-electric ML 450 that becomes available in the U.S. this week will not make it to Canada, given that the ML 350 BlueTec diesel is hugely popular in Canada.

"Market penetration of BlueTec (for the ML) is over 70 per cent, sometimes more than 80 per cent in some markets," said JoAnne Caza, communications manager for the company, saying that the figure was closer to 15 per cent south of the border.

Mercedes Benz Canada said that because it couldn't expect to sell very many hybrids here, it would have had to price the ML 450 Hybrid significantly higher than the ML 350 BlueTec.

M-B's American arm is only leasing the ML hybrid, and has therefore not made an MSRP public, but is offering it for $659 (U.S.) a month over three years, or $549 over five years.

There is, however, a chance that Canadians may be able to order a diesel-electric hybrid from the company at some point in 2010. "Hybrid diesels are not here yet, but that's part of the future plan," the company said.

Smart urges men to be hairy

If you see a wildly decaled Smart fortwo running around urging you to "Honk if you're hairy!," it's part of a deal to raise awareness and funds with Prostate Cancer Canada by encouraging supporters to grow a mustache through the month of November.

Make that the month of Movember, as the campaign calls it, which Mercedes-Benz Canada is supporting this year by providing organizers of the movement two fully wrapped vehicles to use while promoting the campaign in Toronto and Vancouver.

The company will also provide one-year leases on two of the little city cars as a prize for the fundraisers who raise the most money, and match contributions by M-B Canada employees.

The idea, as relayed on the movember.com website, germinated in Australia, where "Mo's" - Australian slang for mustaches - were seen as prime for a comeback, and then a more unique way to bring attention to prostate cancer research than ribbons.

Each fundraiser begins as a Mo Bro or a Mo Sista (supporting someone growing a 'mo'). The growing mustache then becomes an increasingly prominent conversation starter on the importance of getting checked, and on fundraising efforts.

So if you're noticing more hairy co-workers than usual, it may not be your imagination.

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